Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, received two prestigious accolades for its employee training and development initiatives at the 2014 MENA HR Excellence Awards.

Wissam Hachem, Etihad Airways Vice President of Learning and Development,
accepted the Distinction in Learning and Development award during a gala
ceremony in Dubai today. The airline also won a certification of excellence in the Best Nationalisation Initiative
category.

The MENA HR Excellence awards, now in their sixth year, celebrate human
resource excellence within the Middle East and North Africa. An independent panel of judges was impressed by Etihad Airways’ “clear focus
on employee skill enhancement, career progression and performance management as
part of its world-class learning and development strategy”.

Etihad
Airways has more than 19,000 employees across the world, with nearly 1,700 new members
of staff welcomed in 2014 to date. The results of the airline’s Employee
Opinion Survey have shown that 93 per cent of staff are proud to work for the
airline, with 92 per cent willing to go beyond their normal job requirements in
order to help the company succeed.

Etihad
Airways invests in developing UAE nationals into future aviation leaders
through its highly successful two-to-three year Graduate Management Program,
which is underpinned by internationally accredited qualifications and integrates
classroom education with on-the-job training, both in the UAE and across the
network. UAE nationals are now the number one nationality group within the
managers’ level.

In
addition, all levels of staff participate in training and induction sessions,
with attendance from 2,822 core employees and graduate managers in Abu Dhabi during
the first quarter of 2014. The airline’s first Management Effectiveness Program
was also launched last year, training over 1,200 people managers in over 20
countries on Etihad Airways’ management practices.

In
preparation for future growth, a new Corporate Academy opened this year and offers
an increased capacity of 275 people per day. The academy encourages interactive
and creative learning, with wireless technology, state-of-the-art audio-video
facilities, and practical airline-related environments, such as mock check-in
and contact centre desks. It will also provide virtual classrooms that allow
staff to attend training sessions from any computer in the network.

Commenting
on the awards, Mr Hachem said: “We are delighted to receive these awards, which recognises our
commitment to driving the airline’s continued success through its people.

“Through our learning and development strategy, we
have built a performance-driven culture that supports Etihad Airways’ fast-paced
growth and evolution. Shaped around the airline’s needs, it ensures our people
receive the best possible learning and development opportunities, and provides meaningful
rewards for those who excel, including career progression. During the first
quarter of 2014, approximately 30 per cent of our vacancies were filled
internally, which highlights the dynamic environment that we provide for employees
to develop their careers.”